Roof for buildings.



v PATENT-ED APR. 5, 1904. O. J. WILDER & H. VANDERVEEN. ROOF FORBUILDINGS.

APPLICATION FILED AUG-.24, 1903.

flti'vuio'rd N0 MODEL.

w: scams PEYERS ca. wnotcuumoq WAEKINETDN. 04 c4 showing the manner ofapplying the gutterto cover roof-boards, especially upon very PatentedApril 5, 1904.

UNiTEn STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ORLIN J. WILDER'AND HENRY VANDERVEEN, OF GRAND RAPIDS,

' MICHIGAN.

ROOF FOR BUILDINGS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 756,? 56, dated April5, 1904.

Application filed August 24, 1903.

To all whom, it may concern:

Be it known that we, ORLIN J. WILDER and HENRY VANDERVEEN, citizens ofthe United States, residing at Grand Rapids, in the county of Kent andState of Michigan, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inRoofs for Buildings, of which the following is a specification.

Our invention relates to improvements in concrete or plastic roofs; andits objects are, first, to avert the danger of the escaping water fromplastic concrete just laid dripping through the cracks between theroof-boards; second, to avert the danger of the soft concrete sliding orcrawling down the roof before it becomes fully set; third, to provide ameans whereby the concrete will become solidly cemented to the roof-boards, and, fourth, to provide against the danger of leak by reason ofthe concrete cracking or splitting open along the line of division orcontact between the several blocks as laid. We attain these objects bythe mechanism illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which Figure1 is a perspective of the gable and roof of. a house. Fig. 2 is asection of aroof,

strips at the line of connection between blocks.

Similar letters refer to similar parts throughout both views.

The principal difficulty met in attempting steep roofs, lies in theinability to make the soft concrete mortar adhere to and keep its placeupon the boards in consequence of the fact that in curing or drying thewater in the mortar settles to the bottom and forms a very thin, soft,and slippery slime of water with just enough of the concrete and sandfloating in it to render it impossible for it to adhere to the wood, andas a consequence the soft mortar will slide on the boards and the waterwill drip through the cracks between the looards,.which is at least agreat annoyance and in many instances works great damage to articlesbeneath. lVe have found that these difficulties may be almost whollyaverted by gunny-bag fabric.

placing a sheet of fabric B upon the boards Serial No. 170,661. (Nomodel.)

A, and for the'purpose we prefer the. use of a soft threaded, looselywoven burlaps or With this fabric we find that while the threads take upand carry 05 the water after the manner of a wick carrying oil andconducts it almost clear of the mortar to the caves. of the roof withoutallowing a particle to escape through the cracks between the roof-boardsit at the same time takes up and holds the concrete in contact with theboards until it becomes thoroughly set and forms a cement that adheressolidly to and becomes almost an integral part with th boards.

After having properly placed the burlaps upon the roof and secured it,by tacking or otherwise we spread the concrete C upon it in much thesame manner that the same would be plastered upon a wall, and tofacilitate the spreading of the mortar and at the same time provide abetter means of carrying off any water that might percolate through acrack or seam that might be formed between the blocks of concretenecessary in the construction of the roof and to provide afurtherfastening means for the concrete we place a metallic strip D, providedwith outwardlycurved points d, that will engage the soft mortar and forma solid support when the mortar is dry, and over this we place ametallic trough or gutter E, curved up at the edges sufficiently so thatthe mortar may pass between it and the strip D, and secure both thesestrips by nails 6, driven through them and into the roof-boards A,acting at the same time as a support and securing means for the bur-lapsB.

When spreading the concrete mortar, we make the center of the gutterEthedividing-line between the several blocks of concrete as they are spreadupon the roof and in this way place the gutters E immediately under theonly place where a crack can occur in the concrete after it has driedand insure a safe conduct of any water that may pass through such crackto the edge of the roof and off, so that there will be no danger of theroof leaking by reason thereof.

F represents a cornice that may be placed at the ends of the roof tocover the ends of the concrete portion, and, first, protect the theedges of the concrete from being broken off; second, render it mucheasier to form this portion of the roof, and, third, render the end muchmore sightly than would be possible with a raw concrete edge.

The use of the metallic strips D and E upon a roof without the burlapsspread beneath them would not be a departure from our invention; but wegreatly prefer the use of the burlaps, as and for the purposes setforth, and the prongs projecting from the metallic strips D when thesestrips are used Without the strips E may be struck from any portion ofthe surface of the strips, as well as from the edges, the mechanicalaction being the same .in either case, though we prefer the edges, asthe placing of the prongs in the body of the strips would destroy themfor use as gutters to carry off water in case a crack should occurbetween the blocks of concrete immediately over the strips. Thesemetallic strips or the burlap sheets may be used successfully with anyplastic roofing and are particularly desirable and necessary in theconstruction of concrete roofs.

Having thus fully described our invention, What we claim as new, anddesire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States, is

1. In combination with the roof-boards of a building, burlaps spreadimmediately upon the boards and secured thereto, and amortar ofconcrete, sand, and water spread immediately thereon, substantially asand for the purpose set forth.

2. In combination with the roof-boards of a building, sheet fabricspread over the boards, metallic strips placed over the fabric crosswiseof the roof-boards, prongs curved from said strips, a narrower stripplaced over this strip and curved leaving a space between its edges andthis strip and all secured to the roofboards, and concrete mortar spreadover all, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

3. In combination with the roof-boards of a building, metallic stripsplaced crosswise of the boards, prongs curved from the edges of saidstrips, curved strips placed longitudinally over said strips leaving anopening between the edges of the curved strips and the pronged stripsand secured to the roof-boards, and concrete mortar spread over all,substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

Signed at Grand Rapids, Michigan, August 20, 1903.

ORLIN J. WILDER. HENRY VANDERVEEN.

In presence of ITHIEL J. CILLEY, J. A. HODGES.

